Johnson Journals part 254

4/5/72 I decided go to island. Had a little trouble getting Scorpion going - not bad. Traveling on lake good but very bumpy. Drifts so hard I hardly made a track. Stopped at Minters, Shuppens, Amidons, Boyds, Cleveland, Keyes. No vandals. Same at NWI. Always a great relief.

4/6/72 Senior citizen Johnson made it to his 66th birthday - and good! Layna home all day preparing birthday dinner. Her usual smash hit. Buck, Dale, Timmy, Jayme, Lisa, Jill, Bernice, Harry & Bern here to enjoy it. Joan stopped in later. No one in a hurry to leave. No word, written or verbal from Byrne, Sally or Karen. So what!

4/7/72 Layna and I to lunch at Rex Hotel with Rev. Virgil Anderson - his treat. We sat and talked, he did most of it, for more than an hour. Discussed many subjects but Byrne’s situation got most of the copy. He used the word “charisma” to explain what may be taking place within Byrne - and the rest too, for that matter. I think I understand altho it is pretty hard for me to get fired up along those lines. To Seegerts after dinner. Good people, frustrated by the long cold spring. Much to do. How many years did we face the same thing with NWI, Coast Guard, Mando and Barthell. I am happy that all this is just memories now.

4/9/72 To Bernice’s where she had prepared a birthday supper in my behalf - Buck, Dale, Ihrigs, Avis joined us in the feast. We made a half-hearted effort to sing after but bellies too full. Much talk, however, led by Maddie Ihrig. On and on, most of it interesting enough. Gang left at 10:30 but we stayed to help Bernice with dishes. We both feel that we have a good, solid relationship with her, better than when she worked at NWI.

4/10/72 My “Rainy River Reflections” not due until Thursday. On other occasions like this, I have let it ride and got in a real sweat the last minute. Today I wrote it up. All it needs is copying. Walked down and visited Harry Oveson for an hour. What a brain there. He has been making telescopes and reconstructing old cameras and radios all winter. I get lost talking to him. Jayme & Timmy here for overnight. Dale to Duluth with Peggy Lynch. We enjoy those boys.

4/11/72 Tore siding off west wall of house. We are committed to re-side it now. Harry Oveson over in evening. It is his birthday. I am older than he by 5 days. An interesting talker, for sure.

4/12/72 Wayne and I left Falls at 8:00. Off for NW Bay. I drove. Traveling heavy for snowmobile but we had no trouble. Fished near Happy Shack for about an hour and got 4 good crappies, 7 perch and a lawyer. Decided to give Copus Cabin Point a try. We cut 4 holes. Crappies hitting good. We got 29 more. This could be our best crappie fishing - ever.

4/13/72 Seven and a half inches of wet, heavy snow fell during night. Todd Williams came to plow driveway - for free! He is very money conscious so we had reason to be surprised. I cleaned our 16 crappies. Much good meat there.

4/14/72 Long letter from Etta. A belated birthday message. She gave this old man quite a send-off, only some of it deserved. She seems to be adjusting to her new life style (as she calls it.) The “Loon Lady”, Judy McIntyre, wants me as a loon watcher again this year. Glad to comply. Wayne and I to Masonic 3rd degree meeting. Dinner at 6:00. I am a “belly Mason.” Jim Banks for visit. Will work for Kulevar again. Joan Williams - appendix operation.

4/15/72 Birthday on the Bigfork. To Daveys at 2 p.m. On out to farm on Bigfork accompanied by Belangers, 3 cars. We set up our Weber grill and put a 13# standing rib roast therein. Joined by Henricksons and Kurt Eisenach and Bill Bruggeman about 5:30. A grand feed with good friends. We thought it great altho Don & Dorothy Eisenach on the minds of all of us.

4/16/72 Company off and on all day. Daveys, Bernice, Ted Hall, Vi Skrief. Ted an interesting talker - much like Ober. he is a professional word monger and it comes out in his speech. Vi stopped in at 5:00 for a “minute”. Didn’t want to take her coat off. She left at 8:30. Good tho. She is still carrying the torch for some of the boys from Camp Kooch. Them were the days!

4/17/72 I went to County Commissioner’s meeting this p.m. with Sig Laitela. Ruth McLinn put on quite a show when she applied for job as zoning director. These gals have plenty of spunk. Saw TV special, “Lost World”. Much about the Mayan civilization that we visited last winter. It had a special appeal to us having been there.

4/18/72 We drove out to inspect KOA grounds, Sha-Sha and finally our own road. A muddy mess all around. Wrote long letter to Kimball. About 9 p.m. Jim Otness called to say that Gene Hammes had died about a month ago. His last letter, Christmas, sounded pretty cheerful. So it goes. We old-uns will drop off one at a time till we are all gone - to be replaced by what are young-uns now. We are no more important than the trees which follow the same cycle.

4/19/72 Wayne and I off for NW Bay by 8:00 p.m. A great day followed. Clear & calm on lake. Temperature in high 50’s. Fish did fairly well. We got 14 good crappies, 3 jax and many small perch. We ran to Copus Cabin Point for “last snowmobile ride” and did 3 miles in 6 minutes. A couple of old hot-rodders.

4/21/72 I decided to take a crack at siding job. It went well. Back, too. Had 3 sheets up by 4:30. Got dressed up for Sportsman banquet. Went in early so we could see Joan. She is feeling much better. Glad to see us. Met many, many old friends, all of whom have aged considerably in last few years.

4/22/72 To Brooks’ new home for dinner along with Judys. Unusual, and very talented people. Myrl a fine craftsman. A hobbyist who would just as soon make his hobby an occupation. Much good talk until 12:30. Fun! Not much Park talk but enough to make us realize that if this man stays on the job - as apparently he plans, the situation is in good hands.

4/24/72 My back has been giving me hell for some time so today decided to see Dr. Walter. I was in his office 3 minutes, he checked my prostate and said, “Come back tomorrow.” Now I wish I hadn’t gone at all. Harry Oveson came over to invite us over to his place where he had his 125 power scope trained on the moon. We then saw Venus and Saturn. Both of us full of awe. Very impressive, as is the man that made it possible. He then took us in for a cup of tea and impressed us more. He showed us a 1924 radio that he had rebuilt. Then we listened to bird calls that he had picked up on his recorder. What a guy! A long letter from Bradley. He is not too happy in his new environment. He gave a good description of his life there. His Dad gone away much of time, Mother in Chicago, Etta in Philadelphia, he looking out for Sheila & Tara. Both Layna and I a bit choked up when we read it.